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Tombstone Courthouse

State Historic Park

Tombstone, Arizona, often called "The Town Too Tough to Die," is the most famous of Arizona's old mining camps. When Ed Schieffelin arrived at Camp Huachuca in 1877 and wandered off to prospect nearby, his comrades told him he would find his tombstone before finding silver.

Thus it was that when Ed staked his first claim, he named it "Tombstone." When rumors of the rich strikes made the mining camp a boom town, the settlement adopted Ed's name. Over the next seven years, the mines produced millions of dollars in silver and gold, before underground water forced suspension of mining activities.

During this time, with thousands of treasure hunters seeking to strike it rich, Tombstone gained a reputation as a town steeped in violence and lawlessness. This reputation culminated with the infamous Earp-Clanton Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 16, 1881. The Tombstone Courthouse was the first Cochise County Courthouse, constructed shortly after. Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is now operated by the City of Tombstone.

General Information

Rates & Fees

$5.00 per person; $2.00 ages 7-13.

Seasons / Hours

Open year-round, but closed Christmas Day.

Visitor Center

Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm MST.

Features

Restrooms (Handicapped Assistance Provided)

Picnic Area

Elevator (for Handicapped Visitors)

Approximate Elevation - 4,539 feet

Climate

Average Daily
Temperature & Precipitation (Degrees F)

Month

Max.

Min.

Precipitation

Jan

61.4

33.6

0.80"

Feb

64.8

35.8

0.56"

Mar

68.9

38.9

0.60"

Apr

78.1

45.4

0.27"

May

86.8

53.2

0.13"

Jun

94.7

61.3

0.44"

Jul

93.7

65.4

3.77"

Aug

90.9

64.0

3.25"

Sep

89.1

60.5

1.22"

Oct

81.4

61.5

0.62"

Nov

70.7

40.9

0.36"

Dec

62.6

35.1

0.75"

Things To Do

Tour the Courthouse, which contains antiques and artifacts concerning the history of Tombstone and Cochise County, then tour the town with its boot hill and numerous museums, including the infamous O.K. Corral.

The Tombstone Courthouse was built in 1882 after Cochise County split off from Pima County in 1881. Tombstone was chosen as the county seat because it was the largest town in the county with a population of 8-10,000 people. The building served as the Cochise County Courthouse until 1929 when the county seat was moved to Bisbee where it remains today. Some of the most notorious criminal cases were tried in the courthouse during Arizona's territorial period.

In 1959, after many years of non-use, the courthouse was placed in the state park system as a historical site. The state then restored and opened it as the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park. The courthouse presently houses a multitude of displays of past life in Cochise County including ranching, mining and gambling. The professional staff at Tombstone Courthouse SHP provides visitors with fact-based interpretations of the history of the area. The park is the only publicly-owned museum in the town of Tombstone.

Camping & Lodging

Lodging

A number of motels and hotels are available within a few blocks of the courthouse. For more information, click here.

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